Jay Richardson thinks that the UFL could be good for JaMarcus Russell to get his game back.
Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson believes that JaMarcus Russell’s career could go one of two ways. Either the former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft will get his head on straight or we’ve heard the last of him in professional football.
Richardson did not seem all that surprised to hear about Russell’s arrest, though he could not confirm rumors that the quarterback’s codeine cocktails were far from a secret.
“He hasn’t done anything like that in front of me so I can’t sit here and say yay or nay as far as what goes on in his personal life,” Richardson told me. “All I can really say is that it is a cultural thing in the south. Especially in the hip hop community that is something you see a lot of.
“And I think as an athlete you have to know when to distance yourself from that type of behavior. You have to be smart. That’s what it comes down to.
“I’m sure he’s probably not thrilled about how all that shook out. He probably feels bad about that. Lesson learned. Hopefully he moves on from that. Hopefully he stays off of that. We don’t want a guy on drugs.”
When asked about the possibility, Richardson acknowledged that the UFL might be in Russell’s future. It may even be a good thing.
“I think a lot of that really depends on how much he really loves football,” he said when asked if this was the end of Russell’s career. “If he cares enough about it and loves it then he might step down to the UFL … kind of get his swagger back, get his confidence back and make one more run at it and hope that a team comes along and takes him seriously.
“But honestly if he doesn’t start working toward that now and start taking it seriously now, then this might be the last you see from him when it comes to football in general.
“I hope that’s not the end for him. I hope he gets his head on straight and gets rolling. It would be such a waste of talent to see a guy like that have so many issues. We all just hope the best for him.”
And Richardson truly means what he says about JaMarcus turning his life around.
The Ohio State product founded the Jay Richardson Foundation with his mother to benefit underprivileged young men and show them that there are options out in the world.
He recently held his first Life Skills Camp for Young Men that was a success by all accounts. The group didn’t focus just on football. They were in the classroom learning about what it takes to make it in life and how to succeed.
“The reality of it is, not every kid is going to make it to the NFL,” he said. “You want the kid to have as many options as they can. They need to understand that they do have options — it’s not the NFL or bust. There are a lot of things you can do in this world.”
You can learn more about the Jay Richardson Foundation by logging on to jayrichardson98.com.
Check out part two of the interview where Richardson gives his thoughts on the upcoming 2010 season. He’s thinking big.
Of course you can also listen to the interview below.
Part 1: Richardson on the addition of Jason Campbell to the roster and moving back into the starting lineup.
Part 2: Talking JaMarcus Russell, predictions for the 2010 season and the Jay Richardson Foundation.